Sugar Cookies
1 pound butter, softened to room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs and vanilla, mixing well. In a separate bowl mix the baking powder and soda and flour. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well. Add the other half of the flour mixture and mix well. Refrigerate dough for 20-30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out and cut into shapes. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie racks and then decorate.
Frosting
1/2 cup (1 cube) melted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup evaporated milk
4 cups (or so) powdered sugar
Mix together the first four ingredients until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until creamy and smooth (you can add more powdered sugar if mixture is too runny). Add desired food coloring and decorate cookies. We like to add a few cinnamon red hots to each cookie, as it adds a nice flavor. They are great without them, too.
